Ford’s shift to SUV and pickup-only model range in the United States will bring a brand new rugged small utility vehicle to the market. It’s currently being referred to as the baby Bronco, and a new report indicates it will be based on the platform that underpins the new generation Focus.
Basically, that architecture is what the MQB is to Volkswagen – a smart, modular platform, which will be used for many new models from the Blue Oval from multiple segments. It will also underpin the next-generation Kuga/Escape SUV, as well as the aforementioned baby Bronco, which will feature “off-road positioning and imagery” and will be slightly more expensive, as Hau Thai-Tang, executive vice president of product development and purchasing, explained speaking at an investor conference in New York.
Baby Bronco already seen testing and rendered:
Expected to debut sometime next year or in 2020, the new vehicle will come with a design inspired by Ford’s classic mid-1960s Bronco off-roader. It’s important to note that this is not the body-on-frame Bronco revival planned for 2020, but a smaller model sharing most of its technologies and, likely, its powertrain options with the next-gen Kuga/Escape. These include mostly four-cylinder turbocharged motors.
Another crossover-style estate and hatchback will be positioned below the baby Bronco. It’s called the Focus Active and features crossover-inspired plastic body details and raised suspension, in the same vein as the Subaru Outback. It will share a number of components from the suspension and body construction with the baby Bronco.
The Focus Active will be the only version of the fourth-generation Focus to be offered in the United States. Europe also gets a traditional hatchback and estate, as well as plush Vignale and sporty ST-Line variants. ST and hybrid flagship RS models are planned for the future, but not much is known about them at the moment.